Broomed stranded wire structure and method and apparatus for making the same



BRICKMAN 2,389,951 BROOMED STRA WIRE STRUCTURE AND METHOD AND A ATU FOR MAKING THE SAME iled Feb. 20, 3 3 e IN VEN TOR. 4 5. 5/P/KW4/V,

. Nov. 27, 1945.

A. E. BRICKMAN 2,389,951 BR OOMED STRANDED WIRE STRUCTURE AND METHOD AND'APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAME Filed Feb. 20, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Nov. 27, 1945.

E. BRICKMAN 2,389,951 BROOMED bTRANDED WIRE STRUCTURE AND M OD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAM Flled Feb. 20, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 7 ll! 56 5 if f ZJWV Patented Nov. 27, 1945 BROOMED STRANDED WIRE STRUCTURE AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAK- ING THE SAME Alan E. Brickman, New Haven, Conn assignor to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New J ersey Application February 20, 1943-, Serial No. 476,588- 11 Claims. (01.140-413) This invention relates to broomed stranded wire structures and the method and apparatus for making the same. In the assembly of terminal fittings to stranded wire structures employing the principles of socketing and die-casting, it is necessary that the end of the stranded wire structure be broomed to receive the free flow of the molten metal. This is especially necessary in the small diameter field due to the more general use of preformed strands and cords.

It is an object of this invention to provide stranded wire structures having their ends broomed to conform with the contour of standard terminal fittings.

Another object is to provide a method for brooming stranded wire structures.

A further object is to provide apparatus for brooming stranded wire structures.

These and other objects will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view of the apparatus of the invention;

Figures 2 and 3 are views similar to Figure 1, but showing the apparatus in difierent stages of the brooming operation;

Figure 4 shows the broomed stranded wire structure;

Figure 5 shows an eye-type terminal fitting attached to the broomed stranded wire structure;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line VI-VI of Figure 5;

Figure 7 shows a fork-type terminal fitting attached to the broomed stranded wire structure;

Figure 8 is a sectional view on the line VIII- VIII of Figure 7;

Figure 9 shows a turnbuckle sleeve type terminal fitting attached to the broomed stranded wire structure;

Figure 10 is a sectional View on the line X-X of Figure 9;

Figures 11 to 13 are views similar to Figures 1 to 3, but showing a second modification of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a stranded wire structure whose end is to be broomed. The particular structure disclosed has six wires or strands laid up in one course over a center wire. The stranded wire structure is inert due to exacting helix forming of each wire before laying into the stranded structure. Suitable apparatus for carrying out the. brooming operation is. shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. A pair of half bushing type gripping jaws 3 is provided for gripping the stranded wire structure a short distance from the end thereof. Each of these jaws has semicircular grooves 4 extending longitudinally therethrough. At one end these grooves are adapted to grip the stranded wire structure therebetween. At the other end the grooves are enlarged to form a well portion 5 having a tapering portion 6 at the end thereof. Rods 7 are actuated to move the jaws 3 to clamping and unclam-ping positions.

A plunger mandrel 8 has a hollow end 9 at the bottom of which is'a small hole 9a. This mandrel is reciprocated toward and away from the well end of the gripping jaws 3 by means of a rod HJ.

The brooming operation is performed as follows:

A cut length of stranded wire structure is placed.- between the jaws 3 with the outer end thereof toward the mandrel 8. The jaws are moved together gripping the stranded structure 2 therebetween and leaving an unclamped portion in the well 5. The mandrel is moved toward the gripping iaws until the end I l of the stranded structure 2 is confined in the hollow end 9. Further movement of the mandrel causes a structural bulbing l2 of the unconfined portion of all but the center wire of the stranded wire structure. As shown in Figure 3, the center wire extends into the hole 9a which is of such a depth that pressure is not applied to the center wire. The mandrel is then retracted, the jaws opened, and the stranded wire structure removed. As shown in Figure 4, the broomed end I3 is the result of structural distortion in the ball portion and makes its appearance when free from the confines of the hollow mandrel.

When it is desired to attach an eye-type fitting to the stranded wire structure the broomed end i3 is arranged into two substantially uniform clusters i4, arranged as shown in Figure 5. The individual elements of these clusters are secured together by passing a single coil of spring wire l5 over the extreme ends of the clusters. The center wire strand It is then cut back so as not to interfere with the cast hole I! in the fitting.

When attaching a fork-type terminal fitting to the structure the end b-rooming is separated into twov sprays l8 having the fork shape shown in Figure 7'. A wire tie l9 between the ball end and brooming adds to the resistance of maintaining the ball and spray shape during the parallel setting. of the spray ends. The center wire 20 is cut back so as not to interfere with the cast slot 2!. The fitting is then die-cast on the prepared stranded wire structure.

When attaching a turnbuckle sleeve-type of terminal fitting the stranded wire structure is left in the condition shown in Figure 4 except that a wire 22 is fastened between the ball l2 and the broomed end I3 in order to confine the spread of the broomed end when the stud 23 isassembled preparatory to die-casting. In this assembly, the center strand 24 is entered into the drilled hole 25 of the stud and the threaded end of the stud receives flow of the molten die metal to provide a better form of stud bond.

Figures 11 to 13 disclose a second modification of the invention which is used to obtain the most desirable brooming of stranded wire structures having two courses of wire over the center wire. In this modification the hollow end of mandrel 8 instead of having a constant diameter bore is stepped so that the hollow end has a different diameter for each course of wire. Thus the diameters of the outer section 30 and inner section 3| ar such that they receive the outer and inner courses of wires respectively. The center wire extends into the hole 32 and is not distorted.

The brooming operation is performed as follows:

The stranded structure 2' is held by the jaws 3 in the same manner as in the first modification and the mandrel 8 is then moved toward the gripping jaws until the outer course of wires is engaged by the shoulder 33 between sections 30 and 3i. Additional movement of the mandrel starts the formation of the ball on the outer course so that when the inner course of wires engages the shoulder 34 substantial deformation of the outer course has already occurred as seen in Figure 12. Funther movement of the mandrel completes the formation of the outer ball and forms the ball on the inner course without the wires of the inner course tending to distort those of the outer course. The result is that when the wire is freed from the confines of the mandrel there is a bulb within a bulb and a spray within a spray. When a terminal fitting is applied to wire broomed in this manner there is more consistent bonding of the die metal and stresses on each wire.

While various modifications of the broomed end have been shown and described it will be appar-' ent that other modifications may be made and that the brooming may be accomplished by other methods and apparatus without departing from the scope of the attached claims.

I claim:

1. A method of brooming stranded wire structures preparatory to casting fittings thereon which comprises gripping said wire back of the portion to be broomed, confining the outer end of said portion, causing relative movement between said portion and said gripped section to expand the unconfined intermediate portion into a ball, releasing said confined outer end to form' a spray, arranging th outer ends of said stranded wire structure into two substantially uniform clusters and fastening the elements of each cluster together.

2. A method of brooming stranded wire structures preparatory to casting fittings thereon which comprises gripping said wire back of the portion to be broomed, confining the outer end of said portion, causing relative movement between said portion and said gripped section to expand the unconfined intermediate portion into a ball, releasing said confined outer end to form a spray, arranging the outer ends of said stranded wire structure into two substantially uniform clusters,

fastening the elements of each cluster together and cutting back the center element of said stranded wire structure.

3. A method of brooming stranded wire structures preparatory to casting fittings thereon which comprises gripping said wire back of the portion to be broomed, confining the outer end of said portion, causing relative movement between said portion and said gripped section to expand the unconfined intermediate portion into a ball, releasing said confined portion to form a spray, placing a tie between the ball and spray and arranging said spray in the form of a fork, each prong of said fork having substantially the same arrangement of strands.

4. A method of brooming stranded wire structures preparatory to casting fittings thereon which comprises gripping said wire back of the portion to be broomed, confining the outer end of said portion, causing relative movement between said portion and said gripped section to expand the unconfined intermediate portion into a ball, releasing said confined outer end to form a spray, placing a tie between the ball and spray, arranging said spray in the form of a fork, each prong of said fork having substantially the same arrangement of strands, and cutting back the center element of said stranded wire structure.

5. A broomed stranded wire structure comprising a spray portion at the end of said stranded wire structure and a hollow unsupported ball portion of substantially greater diameter than the wire structure adjacent said spray portion, said spray and ball portions being integral parts of the stranded wire structure.

6. A broomed stranded wire structure comprising two substantially uniform clusters of strands at the end of said stranded wire structure and a hollow unsupported ball portion of substantially greater diameter than the wire structure adjacent said clusters, said clusters and ball portion being integral parts of the stranded wire structure.

'7. A machine for brooming stranded wire structures comprising jaws for gripping said Wire structure back of the portion to be broomed, a mandrel having a hollow e d for confining the outer end of said portion and a hole in the bottom of said hollow end for receiving the center wire of the stranded wire structure, and means for causing relative movement between said portion and said gripped section to expand the unconfined intermediate portion of said wire structure.

8. A machine for brooming stranded wire structures comprising a pair of gripping jaws adapted to be moved relatively to each other, each of said jaws having a longitudinal semicircular opening therein with an enlarged portion adjacent one end thereof, said openings being adapted to receive and grip the wire structure when the jaws are closed, said enlarged portions forming a well for receivingan unsupported end of the wire structure, a mandrel adapted to be slidabl received in said well, said mandrel having a hollow portion adapted to confine a part of said unsupported end and means for applying longitudinal pressure to the end of said wire structure to cause a structural bulbing of the wire structure between the confined end and gripped portion thereof.

9. A method of forming a ball portion in a stranded wire structure formed of helically wound strands which comprises gripping said wire back of and adjacent the portion to be formed, confining the wire between its end and said portion,

and applying longitudinal pressure to the ends of the helically wound strands, said longitudinal pressure causing relative movement between said confined and gripped portions to expand the wire structure between the gripped and. confined portions into a ball.

10. A method of brooming stranded wire structures formed of helically wound strands which comprises gripping said wire back of and adjacent the portion to be broomed, confining the outer end of said portion, applying longitudinal pressure to the ends of the helically Wound strands, said longitudinal pressure causing relative movement between said confined and gripped portions to expand the wire structure between the strands, said longitudinal pressure causing relative movement between said confined and gripped portions to expand the wire structure between the gripped and confined portions into a ball, releasing said confined portion to form a spray, and placing a tie between the ball and spray.

ALAN E. BRICKMAN. 

